Ki-ya!

Last summer, my oldest daughter, Lulu’s, desire to take karate lessons reached a fever pitch.  I have to thank a viewing of the Karate Kid (Ralph Macchio style) for that one.  So I signed her up through parks and rec, and she started karate lessons.  From there, she became a full fledged karate student with a Gi and a mean vertical lunge punch.  And then my youngest, Mimi, got in on the dojo scene.  We were officially the parents who let their girls punch kids.  Only at the direction of a sensei, of course.

As I sat for two hours every Saturday with the other parents, I started to realize that I’d rather be in the dojo rather than looking at it.  These kids were having fun, learning respect, and most importantly, gaining confidence and a sense of self.  These are all things that I needed.  With the exception of people who are really close to me, most people don’t realize that I’m a bit insecure and terrible situational anxiety.  So in December, I decided that I was going to do it-- I was going to start karate.  I signed up, with my first class starting the first week of the new year. 

Two weeks ago, I had my first karate class.  I wasn’t signing up for the “ladies kickboxing” but full-on self defense with the big boys.  My goal is fourth degree black belt and nothing less.

But I’m almost 100% sure that I will not be getting a black belt tomorrow. . .

My legs will have to stop shaking first.

And I will have to get over the embarrassment of being schooled by a 14 year old. 

But apart from this, I know I will get there.  The best thing about my class was that I really, truly felt welcome.  I was probably the oldest person in the class, among a sea of teenagers, but these were good kids who were in the same position as me at one point, and were patient and eager to teach me what they learned.  I work with a lot of health care professionals in my day job, and a big part of medical education is the concept of “see one, do one, teach one.”  The same premise is at play in karate.  And I really dig it.  

I could go on about the serpent eating its tail and the yin and the yang of the universe.  I felt really balanced, and not just with my body (which, by the way, did not have any muscle memory related to my years of doing yoga) but with my spirit.  I walked out of the dojo with a smile on my face, thinking to myself that someday I will be the teacher and will pass along my skills to a new student.

And so, the wheel turns, the serpent eats its tail, the acorn grows into a mighty oak, blah blah blah.